Spring filling construction for mattresses and cushions



June 7, 1938.

W. B. FOSTER SPRING FILLING CONSTRUCTION FOR MATTRESSES AND CUSHIONSFiled Jan. 15, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS June 7, 1938. w. B.FOSTER 2,120,093

SPRING FILLING CONSTRUCTION FOR MATTRESSES AND CUSHIONS Filed Jan. 15,1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I9 l9 k al Z fir] 3 I8 l3 l8 l8 Rf 3' 20 1-22 7'7flu v 9- 4 7 i *3 .2 13 1e 15 23 2e 16 I & 24

is DIG 2 l? /1 1S NVENTOR 17 BY Q.

BYW&W

ATTORNEYS Patented June 7, 1938 UNITED STATES SPRING FILLINGCONSTRUCTION FOR MATTRESSES AND CUSHIONS William B. Footer, mm, N. 12.,assignmto Fem: Brothers Manufacturing Company, Utica. N. Y.,

a corporation Application January 15, 1936, Serial No. 59,268

2 Claims.

This invention relates to spring filling constructions for mattressesand cushions and particularly to the frame and border constructionthereof and the means for reinforcing the same.

The purpose of my present invention is to provide a new and improvedspring filling construction for mattresses and cushions and particularlyto provide an improved and simple form of border construction and toprovide an effective and economical form of bracing or reinforcing theside edges or borders of the spring filling and also to provide a frameor border construction formed of two three-part members with the middleof each part forming the side of the spring filling border and with theopposite ends of said member turned inwardly along the ends of theconstruction and overlapping similar parts coming from the other side ofthe construction whereby a complete border may be readily formed andassembled which is strong and adapted to readily form borders for thedifferent sizes of constructions and to form borders that can be readilyadapted to the desired and varying sizes of the assembled springfillings.

Further purposes are to provide new and improved combinations of severalof the abovementioned features.

Further purposes and advantages will appear from the specification andclaims herein.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of either the top or bottom fade of a springfilling construction embodying this invention, intermediate parts of thestructure both transversely and longitudinally being omitted so as toshow the essential parts of the whole spring filling and its frame, mostof the coiled springs being shown in conventionalized form by omittingtheir intermediate spiral coils.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of either one of the two similar three-part wireframe or border members and Fig. 3 is a. plan view showing two of thesethree-part border members in the relative position they occupy whenassembled upon a spring filling, said views being on a smaller scalethan that used in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view on a similar reduced scale of one form of atransverse brace used in several forms of this invention. Figs. 5 and 6are plan views on a like reduced scale similar to Figs. 2

and 3 of a modified form of three-part border' member.

In order to show the new and essential features of the invention moreclearly and in order to avoid obscuring these features by fullmechanical showings of the spiral wires, the edge spiral wire II and theinterior spiral wire IS in Fig. 1

' ,are shown mechanically only by a short section and in the remainderof the figure they are shown diagrammatically. by spaced parallel dashmarks.

Referring to the drawings in a more particular description and first tothe form of the invention 5 illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, it will be seenthat this spring filling construction includes a plurality of coiledsprings l2 arranged on end side by side in transverse rows, a borderextending about the top and bottom side and end edges of the 10structure, said border in the main being composed of straight wire I!and a spiral wire it which spiral wire connects the straight wire to theadjacent terminal coils I5 of the main coiled springs l2.

Preferably adjacent transverse rows of springs are arranged so that theterminal coils I! of adjacent transverse rows will come close togetheror slightly overlap assuming that as is usually the case the springs I!will be arranged in longitudinal as well as transverse rows as appearsin Fig. 1. The adjacent terminal coils of springs in the longitudinalrows will be flexibly or hingedly connected to each other by atransversely extending spiral wire l6 extending between the terminalcoils of an adjacent pair of the transverse rows of springs. This spiralwire is threaded around the adjacent or overlapping pairs of terminalcoils of the springs and then the extreme coils of the spiral wire arecompressed or closed to keep the spiral wire in place.

The preferred border construction in this spring filling for both thetop and bottom edges thereof consists of a straight wire member l3 andthe spiral border member I4. The member I3 is formed out of a length ofwire of the proper length and the desired strength, stiffness andresiliency, the length being sumcient to form a piece of the shape bestshown in Fig. 2; that is, with a central or side portion I! and two endportions ll at right angles to the side portion i1 and parallel to eachother. These angularly disposed parts l1 and i8 are preferably connectedby intermediate curved corner parts [9 having a radius similar to theradius of the terminal coils l5 so that when these border members areassembled upon a set of springs the curved corner part I9 willsubstantially fit or align with the adjacent portion of a terminal coilof a corner spring.

The end portions 18 of these angular shape members i3 formed of straightwire are purposely made of sufiicient length so that when a pair of themare assembled upon a set of springs the members It at each end of theborder frame 66 will overlap to a considerable extent, say to the extentof twice the diameter of the terminal coils. This overlapping of theseend portions I8 serves several purposes. Inthe first place a supply ofsuch parts I! of one size can be used to form several different sizes,that is widths of I spring filling by allowing these end portions l8 tooverlap a greater or less extent without injury to the construction. Inthe second place, these open ended U-shaped frame members facilitate theassembling of the structure in that the free extremities of these endportions l8 can be placed through a length of "the edge spiral wire llif desired without having to screw the spiral wire into place on thestraight wire members. Another purpose served by this feature is thatthe formation of the straight wire frame out of two of these openU-shaped members allows the wire border frame to adjust itselfautomatically to the size of the individual spring assemblies to aconsiderable degree and to an extent necessary to prevent distortion andinternal strain upon the structure that sometimes tends to warp ordistort parts of the structure or of the border. Furthermore, thisconstruction of overlapping ends of the wire border allows a slightresiliency in the width of the end rows of springs which operatestoremove strain and allows a temporary expansion and contraction understrain that might otherwise distort the spring structure. As will appearfrom Fig. 1 the lengths of spiral wire ll effectively but hingedly orpivotally connect the parts of the border wire II to the adjacent partsof the terminal coils of spiral wire member is new. By forming theborder of a length of straight wire and a length of spiral wire, thespiral wire serves to connect the straight wire to the adjacent portionsof the terminal coils of the border springs without the use of otherfastening members and accordingly a whole side or end of the straightborder wire is fastened to all the border coiled springs by the oneoperation of assembling the spiral wire in place by screwing it on tothe straight wire and the adjacent terminal coils of the coiled springs.A border composed of simply a spiral wire allows the fabric placedthereover and also the felt or cotton filling placed next outside ofthat to be moved back into the spaces between adjacent coils of thespiral wire when the mattress or spring cushion is being constructed orused. By placing a straight wire border member within the spiral wirethis is prevented. On the other hand, the use of the spiral wire withthe straight wire gives a larger angle or a larger member over which toturn the fabric and the felt or cotton filling and makes a better cornerconstruction at these edges than is afforded by simply a straight wire.It will be seen also that this double member border co-operates muchbetter with the brace members 20 hereinafter described than would aspiral wire alone and that the brace members herein described could notbe fastened to a border composed of a. single straight wire withoutseparate fastening means.

In spring fillings of this general type it is necessary to have veryresilient means connecting the interior springs such as the spiral wiresThese spiral wires also connect adjacent transverse rows and in generalhold the springs in place transversely of the structure- On account,however, of the resilient character of the spiral wire 16 excessivetemporary strain or long continued pressure transversely ofthefillingsmay bend the spiral wires out of place or temporarilycompress them or distort them so as to allow the side border edges ofthe spring filling to become bent inwardly, which form of distortionvery soon allows the mattress or cushion built up around the springfilling to assume a similar distorted and untidy appearance. It is oneof the special purposes of this construction to overcome the tendency ofsuch spring fillings to become thus distorted. To accomplish thispurpose I provide transversely extending bracing members extending fromone side border to the opposite side At its,

opposite ends the brace is provided with arms 22 turned at right anglesto the central portion 2| and preferably turned as indicated in Fig. 4and in Fig. 1 in the same direction. these braces 20 is placedtransversely of the spring structure in the line of a transverseconnecting spiral wire l6 and is enclosed by the coils of that spiralwire. In this way the cross brace 20 is held in its desired place andkept from being sprung upwardly or downwardly or lengthwise of thestructure and so full advantage is taken of its rigidness in holding theportions of the border to which its-arms are connected out to the properextent. The ends or arms 22 are connected to a length of the border bythe arms being placed within several of the coils of an edge spiral wireI. As the length of spiral wire to which these arms 22 are connectedisheld in a straight line not only by its own stiffness, but by thepresence of the straight border wire member l3, it will be seen that theanchoring of the ends 22 of the brace 20 is rendered more effective bythe border being composed of both a spiral wire and a straight wire.Furthermore, the straight wire and also the spiral wire of the borderbeing secured at two near points to the adjacent portions of theterminal coils of the two transverse rows of springs on both sides ofthe brace 20, it will be seen that these transverse braces orreinforcements operate to give a decided degree of rigidity againstcrosswise or transverse compression or distortion of the springstructure. It will be seen that the end arms 22 of. the braces 20 can bereadily attached to the border by slipping the free ends of said armsinto the desired place of a spiral wire or by screwing the spiral wirearound the arms according to which is most convenient in assembling thestructure. It will be noted that the braces 20 while being composed ofstill or rigid One of Y wire as far as transverse compression isconcerned are possessed of suflicient resiliency to allow the braces tobend when the spring structure is compressed in use and still have saidbraces spring back when the compression upon the spring structure isreleased. This freedom of action is further facilitated by the free orrolling connection made between the arms 22 and the portions of theborder engaged thereby.

In the modified form of a pair of three-part border members shown inFigs. 5 and 6, the wide U-shaped members 23 are composed of a longstraight side 24 connected by short curved portions 21 at the corners tothe end pieces 25 at right angles to the side 24 and parallel to eachother. These members 23 differ from the members I3 however in that theends 25 in this modified form are provided-with projections or humps 26preferably and conveniently formed as an integral part of the ends 25 bybending the wire thereof into the close loop as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.These loops project inwardly of the frame and are in the plane of theframe so that in no case do they project outward or upward into, thecushioning material about the ,spring filling; With these projectionsupon the ends 25 it will be seen that when a pair of them are broughtinto the desired relative position as shown'in Fig. 6 and then the endspiral wires, l4 threaded thereonto the loops 26 will project inwardlythrough the space between adjacent coils of said spiral wire. The loops25 may come into one space or may come into adjoining spaces or may beseveral spaces apart according to the location of the loops and theextent to which the ends and these loops are overlapped in making up aparticular size or model of spring filling. These humps or projections26 aid in maintaining a desired width ofthe spring structure in that theend spiral wires, when once assembled fairly hold the-said-border framemembers in their adjusted position.

What Iclaim-as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a spring filling construction for mattresses and cushions, thecombination of a plurality of coiled springs arranged on end side byside, means flexibly connecting said springs, a border for the top and aborder for the bottom, each border extending along the side and endedges of the construction and consisting of two U-shaped wire framemembers, each comprising of the filling'and end portions at right anglesthereto and parallel to each other and extending part way along theopposite ends of the filling, the end portions from said two bordermembers overlapping each other at both ends of the filling, lengths ofresilient spiral wire extending severally along, and encircling theopposite sides and ends of the wire border frame members and .encirclingthe adjacent parts of the terminal coils of the border springs, thelength of spiral wire at each end of the border frames encircling bothof the overlapping end portions of two co-operating border framemembers, and, on the end portions of the border rality of coiled springsarranged on end side by side, means flexibly connecting said springs, a

border for the top and a border for the bottom,

each border extending along the side and end edges of the constructionand consisting of two U-shaped wire frame members, each comprising along central portion extending along one side of the filling and endportions at right angles thereto and parallel to each other andextending part way along the opposite ends of the filling, the endportions from said two border members overlapping each other at bothends of the filling, lengths of resilient spiral wire extendingseverally along, and encircling the opposite sides and ends of the wireborder frame members and encircling the adjacent parts of the terminalcoils of the border springs, the length of spiral Wire at each end ofthe border frames encircling both of the overlapping end portions of twoco-operating border frame members, and, on

the overlapping end portions of the border frame members, projectionsextending inwardly of the border "and substantially in the plane thereofand into the spaces between adjacent coils of said spiral wire wherebythe two co-operating border frame members may be adjusted and held inany one of several positions relative to each other.

WILLIAM B. FOSTER.

construction for mat-. tresses and cushions, the combination of a plu--

